Scotland Ecology

Protest over multi million pound redevelopment of Edinburgh

20-04-2007 00:00

Demonstrations have taken place throughout the city on redevelopment plans which may mean the demolition of some of Edinburgh's most historic and listed buildings. Protesters from 'Save Our Old Town' (SOOT) demonstrated on the Royal Mile outside the City Chambers as the Council discussed the £300 million development plans of both the Canongate and Market Street. With these, and many more 'redevelopment' plans for around the city, Edinburgh is changing quickly, and the Old Town is being destroyed quicker than you can say 'Listed Buildings'.

Links: Canongate Community Forum (SOOT) | Save Glenogle Baths Campaign | Save Meadowbanks Campaign | 600 protest against Meadowbank Stadium destruction

Two Days of Action Target Climate Criminals

06-02-2007 04:37

Over the weekend of 3-4 Feb 2007, actions up and down the country and beyond targeted dangerous 'greenwash' being desperately pushed by corporations and politicians. The actions came in the wake of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released on Friday, which warned of world temperature rises of over 6C by the end of the century. The report indicated that a 4 degree rise would mean a 10% loss in global food production due to draught, flooding, water shortages. While the world slowly wakes up to the magnitude of climate chaos, Shell and Exxon Mobil last week announced record breaking profits. With the figures laid out so clearly, the nauseating hypocrisy spouted by corporations and politicians has spurred action from Paris to Aberdeen.

Eviction started at Dalkeith tree sits

16-01-2006 13:45

Monday 16th January at around 4.30 am, eviction of the protest sites in Dalkeith Country Park began. Protestors are still in the trees and continuing to resist. The protest sites are opposing the building of the A68 bypass through the Park, just south of Edinburgh.

Early this morning Police bailiffs raided one of the sites ('top site') and have established a security cordon around it. Protestors remain in the trees determined to resist eviction and the cutting of the trees in this part of the River Esk wildlife corridor in Midlothian.

[call for more people | High Alert | Press Release: Eviction started | pictures ]

Dalkeith Park Tree-Sit Under Eviction Threat!

23-11-2005 20:40

Update 25.11.2005: The judge granted an immediate eviction order in the court case "Occupiers of Dalkeith Country Park vs. Scottish Ministers" in Edinburgh's Sheriff Court on Friday.
Eviction is anticipated to take place anytime from now on. Campaigners pledge for more people to come now to help them. .

Report, 23.11.2005 Nearly three weeks ago, protesters set-up a tree-sit in Dalkeith County Park near Edinburgh to protest the creation of a new A68 bypass through the park, an important wildlife habitat and tourist attraction.
Yesterday, authorities cut five trees down before being stopped by protesters.

For more information:

[ Original Call for Support | Press Release and Directions to Treesit | Pictures of Tree-sit in Dalkeith | october feature | Save Dalkeith Park! website | Bilston Woods Protest Camp]

Glasgow Cre8 Summit - Reclaiming Community

20-06-2005 12:06

Over the weekend of the 11th and 12th of June the Cre8 Summit community initiative started taking back an area of land in Glasgow left derelict by the planners, transforming it into a community garden space. Set up in opposition to the M74 motorway extension (the site lies on the proposed route) and the G8, a week of community gardening and workshops culminated on Saturday 18th June with a celebration event. A follow up Family Festival day is also planned. During the first weekend as permaculture activists were planning the graden with local residents, it was announced that the M74 would be delayed by at least a year. One of the people working on Cre8 Summit said - We are doing this because we believe that many of the problems of the world are caused by a lack of solidarity amongst communities - coming together to create and maintain a space that is of benefit to all strengthens us all - we're also actively demonstrating what we are for, creating another possible world now, instead of just talking about it.

Cre8 Garden Pictures | Audio Interview (mp3) | Film: Cre8 Summit Day 1 (.mov 3mins): Direct Download | Press Coverage
Also see: Jam74.org | Corporate Watch on M74 | Road Block | Road Alert Read more >>

4000km of New Roads Planned as Controversial M74 Approved for Glasgow

02-04-2005 12:21

New Department for Transport predictions reveal that the Government are planning over 4000 kilometres of new roads by 2025. The alliance against road building, Road Block, says this is proof that the Government is not serious about tackling traffic growth and climate change (as it claims in the run up to the G8 summit in July). Campaigners say it's clear the government has abandoned previous pledges to implement an integrated transport policy and protect the environment. Currently there are over 200 planned and approved road schemes. Only last week, the Government gave the go-ahead to an additional 12 major road schemes totalling £1.4 billion.

Meanwhile the Scottish Executive has given the green light to the controversial £500 million M74 in east Glasgow. This is particularly significant becasue the M74 approval goes directly against the findings of a Public Inquiry Report published in March 2004. The 188-page report of the public inquiry savaged the scheme, criticising both the plan and much of the transport policy that lay behind it. The report was written by Richard Hickman CBE - one of the Executive’s own most senior and respected planners. The motorway he concluded should not be built as it would have potentially devastating effects on the local and wider economy, the local community, and would be of little actual benefit.

The announcement of the approval going against the public enquiry has drawn a storm of protest - with groups looking at legal challenges and activists gearing up for a massive campaign of direct action to oppose the motorway. Joint Action against the M74 (JAM74) a campaign network opposed to the M74 motorway has launched a beat the bulldozers pledge. Will Jess, Chair of JAM74 said “The Executive and the City Council have condemned Glaswegians to a legacy of air pollution and chromium contamination."

Comparisons are already being drawn with the M77 campaign, which saw thousands of protesters occupying trees in Pollok in 1994 and 1995. The M74 will be a six-lane motorway on concrete stilts cutting into the Glasgow - so not many trees this time, however campaigners point to the M11 protests in London as a model for how house occupations can be used to obstruct road building.

The next JAM74 meetings are 5 + 19 April, 7:30pm, Govanhill Community Centre, Daisy St, Glasgow.
Also see Road Alert Website | Road Rage Links | SchNEWS on New Roads
Read more >>

Big Blether 4 unites muddy grassroots activists

08-10-2004 21:43

The 4th Big Blether took place from 1st- 3rd October 2004 in an embryonic permaculture community in North Perthshire, named Culdees.
About 70 activists from Scotland and far beyond joined the gathering to exchange skills, enjoy themselves and forge links with old and new friends of a diverse range of groups engaged in the struggle for social justice.

[pictures | programm | feedback]

Take back the Streets of Edinburgh

03-08-2004 10:05

Around seventy protesters "took back the streets" in an action in Edinburgh on Saturday 31st of July, 2004. Several sit-down protests were held, and Princes Street was seized before moving on to Tollcross, where two people were arrested.

[ full report with pictures | call for street party | Reclaim the Streets]

Native Americans protest at Scottish Power annual shareholder meeting for river restoration

29-07-2004 15:26

A broad umbrella group of 26 people from various environmental, academic and economical organisations and members from four Native American tribes, travelled to Scotland from Southern Oregon and Northern California to lobby, protest at and negotiate with Scottish Power, the parent company of PacifiCorp, which is responsible for the negative impacts of several dams on the Klamath River, its water quality, salmon population, surrounding environment and neighbouring communities.

Previous reports:
[ pictures of protest at Scottish Power's annual shareholders meeting | call to write protest letters | reply to consumer boycott | Klamath river support delegation in Scotland | U.S. Court Rules in Favor Of Hoopa Valley, Yurok Tribes! | Native Americans, Enviros, and Fishermen Battle Scottish Power | Myth and facts about the Klamath River dams ]

Audio reports:
[ interview with scientist | interview with Klamath Tribe | interview with sociologist | Interview with commercial fisherman | interview with Yurok tribe | Environmental Racism Conference 1 | Environmental Racism Conference, Eugene, January 2004 ]

Climate change in Edinburgh...

17-05-2004 10:10

How to experience your own greenhouse effect. Wander through Edinburgh city centre in a dinosaur costume on an usually hot day in mid-May. Better still get a mate to wear a rubber George W. Bush mask – after 5 minutes inside georges head their brain will be boiled too…

So why a dinosaur and why George Bush? We didn’t just want to experience a personal climate change, this was the return to Edinburgh’s streets of international climate action day – a global day of marches and events on May 15th. [Pictures and call].

Scotland Ecology Feature Archive >>

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